Hiding Secrets Phan AU
by Ismir
Summary: Dan's life is not easy. Not only is he being bullied by his ex-best friend for being gay, but he is barely passing math. On top of that he is hiding a secret that could change his whole life. What happens when the school resident punk and bad boy starts showing an interest in him and finds out his secrets? Will he tell or take advantage of the situation? Punk Phil/ Pastel Dan Phan.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Dan's POV

"A C- again uggghh." I frowned staring at the big fat C- on my last math exam in red marker. It felt as though the page were taunting me with all it "Xs", minus points, and corrections. It was going to be a pain explaining this to my mom.

I was pulled out of my thoughts when Mr. Goodman cleared his throat.

"Phil you're late."

I noticed Phil Lester standing in front of the door with his usual scowl on his face and a tardy slip in his hand. He was wearing a band tee and his signature leather jacket, his tattoo sleeve slightly peeking out from underneath. His lip piercing and ear gauges caught the light coming from the window making them twinkle. They were almost as bright as his eyes. Phil had piercing blue eyes which appeared even brighter when he wore black eyeliner like right then.

My cheek heated up when I realized that I was staring at Phil and he was gazing back at me.

"Thank you for the tardy lip. You may take a sit now." The teacher said taking the slip from his hand and forcing Phil to break eye contact with me to look at him. I lowered my head in mortification, and did my best to avoid looking at him and ignore his presence. For some reason, I always felt like he was staring at me and it made me nervous.

To be honest Phil scared me. He was always scowling and picking fights with people. He was also very rude and short-tempered. Everybody knew not to mess with Phil Lester.

"Kay" he muttered under his breath and began making his way to the back of the room where his desk was. He paused briefly when he reached mine, causing me to hold my breath in fear. After a moment he sighed and continued walking. I refused to acknowledge him the whole time only lowering my guard when I was sure he was gone. Something about him made me uncomfortable. That boy was trouble.

-/-

"Dan can I talk to you?" Mr. Goodman asked me from his desk as I was gathering my stuff to go to lunch. I waited for everyone to leave before making my way over to him. I stood in front of him, nervously fiddling with the end of my shirt.

He raised an eyebrow at me and I bite my bottom lip.

"Is this about the C- I got on my math exam?" I came out straight and said it, might as well get to the point. I knew this was coming from the moment he placed my test face down on my desk at the beginning of class.

He sighed and leaned forward on his chair with his hands clasp together in front of him.

"What going on Dan? This is not the first time you had gotten a low grade in one of my exams this semester. Why are you struggling with the material?"

I lower my head and looked at my feet, feeling embarrassed at my own ineptitude.

"I just don't get algebra, it was bad enough we had to work with numbers in middle school, now we also had to use letters and formulas! It's confusing." I mumbled, sheepishly scratching the back of my neck.

He seemed taken by surprise when I finally looked up at him, a weak smile playing on my lips.

"I guess, I am just stupid." I shrugged.

"Nonsense, everybody has the ability to learn algebra. Some people just take more time than others. Tell you what, I am going to set you up with a math tutor. You'll like him, he is a brilliant student and great at explaining things. I'll give you his number so you guys can arrange a meeting."

When Mr. Goodman finished talking he had a wide grin on his face. I on the other hand was hesitant to meet up with a complete stranger. Would this tutoring thing even work? Maybe I was just a lost case.

"I don't know..."

"Just try it at least ones. If you don't like it, we can talk about getting you into supplemental classes, but I rather you not. I want you to pass this class Dan. I know you can do it with the right help." He said handing me a slip of paper from his shirt pocket with a phone number on it.

I took it from his hand and smiled shyly down at him "Okay". Mr. Goodman was truly a great teacher. He always pushed us to do our best and genuinely wanted us to succeed. You could tell he like his job too, by the way his eyes twinkled with excitement whenever we started a new chapter. He didn't look down on us like other professors did. He talked to us like adults and tried to work things out with us first before getting our parents involved.

"Great! I really think this is going to be good for you. I'll be keeping in touch with you throughout the week. You may go to lunch now."

"I hope so." I sighed out before swiveling around and heading to my locker. The hallways were empty since everyone was already at lunch. I quickly found my locker and started putting my things away. I was putting my last text book away when suddenly someone shoved me inside and closed the door. I could hear maniacal laughter coming from the other side as I turned around the tight space in slight panic. Through the slits on the door, I could make out Jason and his three goons, Mark, Tom, and Peter outside. I could tell it was them by the football varsity jackets and evil smirks they were wearing.

"You should have just stayed in the closet. You disgusting fag." I heard Jason's say, followed by the sound of hands slapping against each other as if high-fiving.

"Jason please this is not funny. You know I have claustrophobia. Please let me out." I sobbed out, but didn't receive a response from him.

"Jason, are you still there?" I asked after a minute of nobody saying anything. I was beginning to hyperventilate, and it only grew worst when I heard the sound of footsteps fading along with snickering. Before I could continue asking if they were there, someone kicks the door hard, making me a jump up in fright and hit my head in the process. I barely registered when one of them muttered "fag" under their breath and the last of the footsteps faded.

I was having a full-blown panic attack by then. I felt the walls of my locker closing in on me and suddenly I couldn't breathe properly. I started banging on the door and yelling for someone to let me out. I could feel warm tears sliding down my cheeks and the thumping of my heart against my chest as it tried to break free. After five minutes of banging my fist nonstop, I finally lost all hope of someone finding me and just sat there, crying. _Why did this have to happen to me? Why did Jason have to hate me? Why couldn't I be normal?_ Were some of the thought running through my head at that moment.

I was too busy wallowing in self-hate to notice someone picking at the lock from the outside. I jumped back in surprise when the door suddenly flew opened and in front of me was standing no other than Phil Lester with a worry expression on his face. It was weird seeing him with something other than a scold or smirk on his face.

"Are you okay?"

If it were any other time, I would have willingly hid in my locker to get away from him, but at that moment I was too shaken up and grateful to care about who found me even if that someone was the school's resident punk and bad boy. I threw myself into his arms with a little bit too much force and accidently pushed him to the ground in the process. I wrapped my arm around his neck and buried my face into his leather jacket, and I just cried. All the emotions that had built up over the day just burst out in the form of tears the moment he opened the door. He held me through it all, rubbing soothing circles on my back as my heart slowly calmed down.

"Shh is okay, breath." I took deep breaths and slowly started feeling better. I must have fallen asleep like that because the next think I knew I was at the nurse's office, laying down in bed. When the nurse saw that I was awake she started fussing over me, asking me if I was okay and what had happened. I answered all her questions one by one and after checking that I was okay, she sent me off to class.

The rest of the school day went by without me seeing Phil again which made sense considering we only shared two classes together. However, it seemed that all I could think about was those icy blue pools and warm arms around my back. Had that really happened? Did Phil Lester, AKA the schools bad boy, try to comfort me? What did that mean? And most importantly who exactly was Phil Lester? Could I trust him or was he really just bad news? After much debate, I decided that I would talk to him when I saw him tomorrow at school.

-/-

Sweat dripped down my face as I rushed to get home. I could hear my erratic breathing and feel the breeze whipping my hair against my forehead.

When I finally reached my house, I fumbled with my keys for a few seconds before opening the door. I paused at the entrance to greet my mom, who was brewing something that smells oddly like jasmine tea, and ran up to my room. I slammed the door shut and leaned my back against it, letting myself slide to the ground.

I let out a relief sigh. Finally, I was home and could be myself. My _real_ self.

I got up after catching my breath and started stripping the dull clothes I had on. I looked at the grey shirt, dark-grey hoodie, and black pants on the floor and couldn't help but grimace at the depressive colors. I quickly crossed the room and opened the door to my walk-in closet. Inside a rainbow of pastel colored sweaters, soft scarfs, and delicate skirts greeted me. I smiled softly at the soothing colors, already starting to feel better after the stressful day I had at school.

I had gotten bullied again by Jason and his football buddies right before leaving school. This time they had decided it would be fun to slam my face against the lockers repeatedly while calling me a disgusting fag. If that's how they treated me for being gay, I could only imagine what they would do if they found out that I liked to crossdress.

I walked further into my closet and paused to retrieve a cream skirt neatly folded on the top shelf. I ran my thumb against the fabric in my hands and grinned at how soft it was. I then went on to select a crisp white dress shirt and a baby pink oversize sweater to go on top.

Once done, I hesitantly glanced at my reflection on the full-length mirror across my closet. I gasped at how _soft_ and _feminine_ I looked wearing the pastel hues.

I felt _beautiful_. For the first time that day, I felt like I was being my true self. It was an incredible feeling. _If_ _only I could feel like this forever_ I thought with a content sigh.

A/N Hey guys, this is my first Phan story so go easy on me. I'll try to update every weekend, but not promises. Like and leave comments if you want more. Till next time!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Dan's POV

"Dan, honey! Dinner is ready!" I heard my mom shout from downstairs. I was laying down on my stomach trying to do my math homework, but no matter how hard I tried I just didn't get it.

I could feel a headache coming on and decided to take a break from studying, if you can even call it that. Does staring blankly at your textbook for half an hour count as studying? I didn't think it did, but it didn't seem to matter as much as food when my stomach started growling at me.

"Coming!" I closed my text book and stood up, quickly fixing my white skirt before heading down stairs. My mom had just finished laying out the table when she saw me near the kitchen's entrance. She furrowed her brow, giving me a look of concern as she looked me up and down. I bit my bottom lip, shifted my weight to my other leg, and waited for her verdict.

"Honey, those shoes don't go very well with that outfit! You should have worn the white ones I bought you last week!" She placed a hand on her forehead in mock exasperation.

I rolled my eyes at her. I loved my mom, I really did. She accepted my gender expression and sexuality when I came out to her without any qualms. My mom even supported my liking for everything pastel and went out of her way to buy me feminine clothes. However, she could be a bigger diva than me sometimes which drove me crazy.

"Mom, drop it." I whined and pouted down at her. "I am not even going out. It's not like I have any friends to hang out with anyways." I muttered that last part, but of course she heard me anyways.

"What ever happened to Jason?" She frowned, slightly tilting her head to the side. "You guys used to be so close back in middle school. Always going to each other houses and playing games together. I miss having him over." She had a look of melancholy in her deep brown eyes which cause guilt to build up inside my chest because I knew I was the reason he didn't come anymore.

I couldn't stop the cringe that took over my face at the thought of how we were now.

"We don't really get along anymore. Some stuff happened... I um don't really want to talk about it."

My mom furrowed her brow, but nodded her head anyways. After a few more seconds understanding registered on her face and she crossed the kitchen to give me a hug.

"Oh honey, is okay. Sorry for asking." She pulled away and smiled at me.

"Come on, let's go eat. Today you can have Salted Caramel ice cream afterwards as desert."

I grinned down at her at the mention of my favorite ice cream.

"Have I told you how much I love you today?" I said with a goofy smile causing my mom to burst out in laughter. She shook her head at me fondly, and placed her hands on her hips.

"You could say it more often, you know." She concluded with a pat on my cheek and turned around to take a sit at the table as did I.

"By the way. Your father called. He is taking you out on Saturday." A groan slipped my lips at the thought of spending the entire day with my dad.

It's not that I didn't like spending time with him. I loved my dad and enjoy bonding with him. The thing is that my dad tended to turn a blind eye when faced with a difficult situation or problem. That's how he coped with things, by pretending they weren't there. Just like he pretended not to hear me when I came out to him last Christmas, choosing instead to watch the baseball game on TV than dive any further in the uncomfortable topic. His inability to deals with his problems probably being one of the main reasons why my mom and him divorced when I was five years old. Although it hurt, I was just glad he didn't outright reject me like some parents did to their children.

"Sorry Danny, but you have to spend time with your dad. He gets you Saturdays and Sunday that's the deal."

I sighed and sunk down on my chair, knowing there was no getting out of that one.

"Alright, but I am going to be needing two scoops of ice-cream instead of one as compensation."

-/-

I was about to go to bed when I remember what Mr. Goodman had told me this morning. I picked up my jeans from the floor and started searching through the individual pockets. I pulled out the piece of paper the professor had given me with the tutors number. I briefly debated whether to text them now or wait later this week. I decided to text him right then since I knew I would forget if I didn't.

Taking a deep breath, I began typing a message.

 _Hi, I am Dan. I am in Mr. Goodman Algebra 2 glass. He gave me your number and said you would be able to help me. I am kind of failing all his exams. Do you think we could meet up tomorrow? I could use the help._

I hit send, laid down on my bed, and waited for my phone to come to life.

I was beginning to fall asleep waiting for a reply when my phone started vibrating in my hands which were resting on my chest. I quickly opened up the window with our conversation.

 _Hi Dan, thanks for contacting me. Mr. Goodman mention something to me today about someone wanting tutoring. Does next Monday after school work for you? We can meet up at the library since is quite there._

I grinned after reading the text.

 _Yes, that's perfect!_

Another text came almost immediately after my replied.

 _Great, I'll be waiting at the back of the library beside the Fiction section. See you then!_

I finished reading the text and quickly typed out:

 _Wait, you haven't told me your name…Do I know you?_

I waited and waited for a reply, but it never came. I was confused by the silence and left wondering who this person exactly was. _Maybe their phone died or they fell asleep?_ I thought as I felt my eyes grow heavy and my breathing slowed down. I finally fell asleep around midnight with my phone next to me on the pillow.

-/-

As soon as I opened the double door to school my eyes started searching for icy blue eyes and a dark jet fringe. It didn't take me long to spot Phil, leaning against some lockers surrounded by a group of girls who were trying to get his attention. He looked bored out of his mind as they chattered on and on about something or another.

I bit my lip and shifted my weight from one leg to the other. I'd had never gone out of my way to talk to Phil before, being too intimidated by him to even consider saying hi. What if he decided he didn't like me because I was gay and made me his target? School was already hard enough with Jason and his goons pushing me around every chance they got to add another person who hated my guts to the equation.

I grimaced. For some reason, I couldn't stand the thought of Phil being like them.

I stood awkwardly in the middle of the hallway, considering just turning around and walking the other way. That was the easier option, that was the _safe_ option. However, I wanted to at least thank Phil for helping me out yesterday. He had comforted me in my panic state and carry me to the nurse's office. He couldn't be as bad as people made him out to be if he was willing to put up with me, right?

Taking a deep breath, I walked over to Phil whose eyes widen in surprise when he noticed me standing beside him. I must have been seeing things because I could've sworn a faint blush crossed his face before he quickly scolded his features back to a stern expression. The girls had also stopped talking and now were glowering at me.

I fidgeted with the end my shirt and forced a small smile on my face.

"Hi." I whispered and looked at the ground, unable to meet their intense gazes.

"Hey" Phil said just as quietly as if afraid I would run away at any second. This for some reason made my heart rate increase and my hand start to sweat.

"What do you want? Don't you see we are talking?" One of the girls huffed and crossed their arms, seemingly annoyed for being interrupted. I think her name was Cindy. She was a pretty blonde with a dimpled smile much like mine.

"Sorry, I Um," I coughed and glanced at Phil through my eyelashes. "I just wanted to say thank you for helping me out yesterday. It was really nice of you…" I could feel my face start to flush as memories of how I had cried my eyes out on his shoulder entered my mind. _How embarrassing._

"What is he talking about Phil? Is it true? Did you help him?" Cindy looked at him confused along with the other girls in the group.

I saw something cross Phil's eyes at that moment that looked akin to panic. However, it quickly disappeared and he began shaking his head _'no'_.

"I don't know what you're talking about. You must have confused me with someone else."

Now it was my turn to furrowed my brow in confusion. There was no way that could have happened. I could never mistake those icy blue eyes with someone else's. It was him who I saw.

"I am pretty sure it was you. Don't you re"

"It wasn't me." He hissed out at me with narrow blue eyes which made me take a step back. His eye widened when he saw me backing away in fear.

"Dan, I am so-" He was cut off by the sound of the bell signaling us to class.

He groaned loudly and ran his hand through his hair.

"I have to go." He said curtly before heading to his class with the girls on his heels, leaving me standing in the middle of the hall confused and slightly hurt. I knew it was a bad idea to talk to him. He was probably embarrassed to be seen with me.

I sighed and started to drag my feet to my first class of the day which I ironically shared with Phil.

When I entered the room, everyone was already in there sits including Phil. He was sitting all the way in the back row, staring outside the window and paying me no mind for the first time in months. I should have been happy that he wasn't staring at me as usual, but strangely enough I wasn't. In fact, I was sort of disappointed that he was ignoring me after I had worked up enough courage to talk to him this morning.

I felt my shoulders slump in defeat, and after one more glance, I began making my way to my desk. I sat down and lowered my head to look at my lap. From the corner of my eyes, I saw a white piece of paper on my desk. I furrowed my brow in confusion and hesitantly flipped it over. There was only one word written on it _'sorry'_.

A/N Hey guys sorry for the crappy chapter. It's been hectic lately at work, but things should pick up after the next chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

Dan's POV

I tilted my head to the side and considered my options. I could either wear the white breezy blouse and baby blue skirt with clouds applique or my jean overalls and blush pink jumper underneath. I guess it all came down to how uncomfortable I wanted to make my dad today. It was Saturday, which meant I would be staying with my dad and his evil girlfriend, Carlene, for the whole weekend.

I sighed and reached forward to grab the hanger with the latter outfit.

"Dan, your dad is down here! Are you ready?" My mom yelled from the downstairs.

"One second, mom!" I quickly put on my clothes and started packing the remainder of my things, only pausing to tried to fix my unruly mop of hair. Key word here is tried. I manage to make it look somewhat decent without using the heating iron which to me was a victory by itself.

I decided to do a one last minute check and made sure I hadn't left anything behind. I was checking my bedside drawers when I came upon a familiar piece of paper.

 _Sorry._

I felt my cheeks heat up as I imagined Phil taking time to write an apology note to me. It had been four days since he left that note on my desk, and we haven't talked once about what happened, much less talk at all.

I sighed under my breath. It seemed things had gone back to normal between Phil and I. The two of us dancing around each other, playing an endless game of cat and mouse. I thought it would make me happy to go back to our familiar routine, but strangely enough, I wasn't. There was something about Phil that reminded me of a difficult puzzle I once tried to solve as a kid and couldn't for the life of me decipher, part of me still wanted to put it together.

"Dan, your dad is waiting!" I jolted up in surprise by the sudden noise. I was so caught up in my thoughts that I forgot what I was doing.

"Coming!" I said quickly, shoving the note in my front pocket. I gave my room one last look around and headed downstairs where my dad was waiting for me in the living room.

He gave me a one over when he saw me and furrowed his brow.

"Son, I don't know if you knew this, but you look like a builder at a cloud factory."

"It's fine dad." I said with a laugh and crossed over to stand beside him. I gave him a side hug which he returned.

"I'll bring him back on Sunday in the afternoon. It was nice seeing you Sharon."

"Take good care of my baby, Samuel (names are made up)." She reached out and started pinching my cheeks, _hard_. My dad grinned widely when I began swatting her hand away.

"Mom, staaaph."

"Alright, have fun now honey. Text or call if you need anything."

"He won't cause his with his dad." Dad shot back cheekily and we began heading to the car. I waved to my mom from the car window until I couldn't see her anymore.

-/-

"So son, how school going? Any girlfriends yet? You know, girls dig the soft guy look." Dad glanced at me from the corners of his eyes briefly before looking back at the road again.

"Dad, I am gay." I deadpanned, _here we go again._

"I am gay to see you too, son" I faced-palmed, leave it to my dad to dance around the issue.

"No dad, I mean I'm a homosexual as in I bat for the other, as in I like dudes. G-A-Y, gay."

My dad face grew stoic as he continued staring straight ahead without saying a word. It was quiet for a while until he came to a stop at a red light and turned to look at me.

"So do you want to go fishing or to the movies with Carlene and me tomorrow?" _Yep, he was doing it again, ignoring his problems._ "I hear there is an animated movie playing. I think is called...sausage party? We could go see th-" I was already shaking my head before he could finish.

"Oh God, dad no, umm, fishing is fine."

"Suit yourself." He shrugged and continued driving.

I sighed in relief and laid back on my seat as my dad mumblef something about seeing the movie with Carlene next week. I shivered at the thought.

We talked a bit more after that and before I knew it we had arrived to the cave of the beast.

"Dan, hi! I am so happy to see you. Have you grown since I last saw you?" Carlene greeted me as soon as I stepped in the house. I shifted uncomfortably in the spot and forced a small smile on.

"Hi Carlene. No, I am still the same." _Plus, I am pretty sure you can't grow that much in a week_ , I added mentally.

"Dan go ahead and take a seat in the kitchen, lunch is almost ready. I am going to go bring your bag to the guest room and use the bathroom. You guys can stay here and catch up!" My dad said brightly before disappearing up the stairs. _Fudge._

As soon as my dad was out of sight, Carlene whole demeanor changed. Her soft expression morphed into a scowl, her inviting smile changing into a sneer of disdain, leaving no resemblance of the friendly lady from moments ago.

"What on earth are you wearing? Don't you know boys don't wear pink." I blushed in embarrassment and lowered my head. "What is your mom even teaching you at home."

I glared at her when she mentioned my mom. She could say anything she wanted about me, but not my mom. Sensing my anger, she quickly backtracked.

"I am just saying; you will never find a good girl dressed like that!"

"That won't be a problem because I am gay. Besides, I wouldn't want to be with someone who didn't accept me for who I was." I muttered, looking at the ground, not feeling all that confident despite my words.

"That's disgusting, I always knew you were a fag." No matter how many times I've heard that word-usually directed at me-, it still made me cringe and flinch all at the same time.

"I-I can't help who I like." I argued feebly.

"That's what they all say. No wonder your dad rather live in denial than deal with you. You are just one big disappointment." I felt my heart clench painfully in my chest at her words because I knew they were true. I was just another problem in my dad's life that he would rather avoid. She sneered at me one last time before she turned around and left to check on the food.

As if on cue my dad entered the room with a wide smile that faltered when he saw me, concern filling his eyes almost immediately.

"What's wrong bud, you seem down."

I gave him a forced smile and shook my head. Carlene might be mean to me, but she made my dad happy. I didn't want to come in-between them, or give him another problem to worry about, he had enough of that with me. If making my dad happy meant tolerating Carlene so be it.

"I am fine just a bit tired. I am going to go up and rest for a bit."

"Alright, I'll call you when dinner's ready." I nodded and headed upstairs to the guest room which was also my room while I was there.

I opened the door and made a beeline to the bed. I laid my head on the pillow and felt a single tear slide down my cheek. I quickly wiped it off and pulled out my phone from my pocket. I began typing a message to my mom.

 _'_ _I am going to be needing more than two scoops of ice-cream after this.'_

A/N Hi guys, sorry for the short chapter, but I didn't want to wait another week before posting again. I have no excuse for taking so long to update except life man. I know there was a lack of Phil in this chapter, but I wanted to delve a bit more in Dan's family life. Next chapter will be filled with Phil though! What else? Like and follow to give me motivation to write faster lol and sorry for any grammatical or spelling mistakes. I am literally editing this five minutes before going to work.


	4. Chapter 4

**Dan**

I blinked once.

I blinked twice.

Then I blinked a third time, my eyes not quite believing what they were seeing.

I had gone straight to the library after class to wait for the tutor. We had agreed to meet today after school which is why I was confused when Phil Lester took a seat across from me and pulled out an Algebra II textbook out of his bag.

"Why are you here?" The words were out of my mouth before I knew what I was saying. I blushed and looked down. I didn't mean to say it in an accusatory or rude way. I was genuinely curious.

I always imagined Phil being the type of person that went looking for a fight or a wall to spray paint after school. I certainly didn't picture him tutoring poor struggling students in his spare time.

"Sorry." I said hastily, keeping my gaze on the table, afraid that I had offended him somehow. I heard him chuckling which made me look up at him out of curiosity. Amusement was twirling in his pretty blue eyes

"Mr. Goodman contacted me, he said you needed help with math."

"You're the tutor?" I said dumbly, trying and failing to keep the surprise out of my voice.

"Hey, I might not look it, but I am actually very good at math." He said, sticking out his tongue and surprising me. He was actually pretty amiable. Nothing like I thought he would be.

"Sorry." I said again, suddenly feeling bad for assuming he was up to no good.

"It's okay, you didn't know." He shrugged.

"Why didn't you answer me when I asked who you were through text?"

I furrowed my brow when Phil started to blush. He was always so confident and intimidating. It was strange seeing him embarrassed.

He scratched his neck and looked at me sheepishly.

"I thought you wouldn't want to meet up with me if you knew it was me."

Now it was my turn to feel sheepish. I can understand why he would think that, before a couple week ago the mere thought of being near Phil scared me to no end.

I was about to apologize again, but Phil stop me with the rise of his hand.

"It's fine Dan, really. I get it. I am not the most approachable guy out there." He grinned, successfully breaking the awkwardness of the moment. I felt my shoulders relax and my expressions soften. I gave him a small timid smiled in return.

I wanted to ask him more questions, like why he helped me that time a couple weeks ago and then pretended that he hadn't. Why was he so different when it was just the two of us? Those questions kept swirling in my mind, but I decided to ignore them. I didn't want to overwhelm him and push him away by interrogating him. Besides, I wasn't sure if I was ready to hear his answers.

We started working on our math homework after that, feeling much more comfortable with each other after our little talk. Phil wanted to see me do some problems on my own first and gave me a few to solve. He thought I needed to review the basics and gave me a worksheet to work on. He would solve a problem and then let me try to solve a similar one. He was very patient with me and his explanation were easy to understand.

We continued to go back and forth like this until something seemed to click in my head.

"So if I minus this number... and then divide it with this one... it will give me this number. " I wrote down my answer and looked up to see Phil smiling brightly at me.

"That's right, I think you getting it now." I won't lie, I lowkey did a little happy dance in my head when Phil praised me. For some reason, seeing him look so proud at me made me incredibly happy.

I turned around to thank him, but stopped when I realized how close we were.

When did he moved next to me? When did our faces get so close to each other? Only a couple of inches separating us. How did I not noticed that our knees and thighs were pressed right against each other? How did I not feel his breath against my neck as he looked over my shoulder? How didn't I notice any of this.

I sucked in a deep breath and accidently got a whiff of his cologne. It smelled like vanilla, mint, and Phil, an intoxicating mix. I could feel his breath on my upper lip and see how his eyes widen in realization as they met mine. It would have been so easy to lean forward and kiss him right then. However, I was too terrified about what I was feeling to even dare to speak.

There was a moment were we just stared into each other eyes. His baby blues, helping me calm down enough to talk again.

"S-sorry." I said finally, turning around and putting some distance between us. Phil probably felt uncomfortable having a gay guy so close to him. He would probably be disgusted if he knew said guy was developing a crush on him. I needed to stop. It was a terrible idea to crush on a straight guy. I learned that the hard way.

"It's okay... Dan I-" Phil was interrupted by the loud noise of chattering and laughter coming our way. It must have been the football team getting out of practice. It usually ended around that time. I could see Phil stiffen and the color drain from his already pale face from the corner of my eyes. His once calm blue eyes seemed to be in turmoil.

"Are you okay?"

"I got to go." He said distantly, reverting back to his cold and aloof persona. Then without another word, Phil stood up from his seat and started gathering his things.

"Where you going?" He didn't respond, just turned around and left. He just walked away, leaving me to deal with Jason and his three Gorillas.

"Look at the Fag guys." Jason said, with a sadistic smile spreading across his face the moment he spotted me.

"What is he doing? math homework?" Peter snickered under his hand.

"Lame!" Mark shouted, taking my worksheet and crumbling it, before tossing it away. Jason then took my backpack and threw it in the garbage too.

"Too bad we can't throw you in the trash too." Tom said, with a sneer of disgust. I felt my eyes start to water as they all took turns at kicking my seat.

That time Phil did not come to my rescue.

 **N/A Another short chapter this week. Sorry guys,** **but it's better than nothing, right? I am thinking about making the next chapter Phil's POV. It might take me a bit longer to update if I do decide to write it like that so we will see. Like and comment for more!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Phil Lester's POV**

 **Two years ago**

Freshmen year, the hallways were buzzing with noise and excitement for the new school year. New students walking around, trying not to seem too lost on their first day of school. Underclassman were catching up with friends they hadn't seen all summer, and swapping stories of what they had done during their vacation. Seniors were wearing excited smiles, savoring their last year in high school.

However, all noises and activity seemed to have died down the moment I stepped foot inside the hall. That summer, I had decided to do something out of my comfort zone and got a sleeve of tattoos along with a few ear piercings. It was a bit out there, but I liked how it came out. Roses and vines circled my arm gracefully, leading to my shoulder where the profile of a lion laid looking towards the sky. Lions were my favorite animal, hence the tattoos.

My fringe had also grown pass my eyes over the summer, which could get annoying sometimes, especially when it got in my eyes. I thought of cutting it all before school started, but decided against it at the last minute, liking the rugged look it gave me.

Throw in a leather jacket (which had been a gift from my brother) and ripped jeans (I forgot to do laundry that week and they were the only ones cleaned), and it was no wonder people were looking at me like I was some sort of punk d-bag. It also didn't help that I had left my glasses home and had to squint my eyes to see, which made it seemed like I was glaring at everyone.

Not only were they looking at me differently, but they were also treating me differently.

A path opened up for me as I made my way to my locker at the back of the hall. There were a couple of jocks chatting in front of it, but as soon as they saw me coming, they scrambled like they had ants down their pants. I grinned to myself and began putting my books away. I could definitely get used to this.

-/-

I thought my entrance was the only one that could prompt such a reaction from the other students, but boy was I wrong. The moment this other kid opened the door to the school everybody froze and stared at him, as if silently judging him. He looked extremely uncomfortable as he shifted his weight around from one leg to the other and pulled onto the end of his long-sleeves. The silence seemed to drag on for an eternity until it was suddenly replaced with a commotion of loud whispering and sideway glances as he began walking to his locker, more like dragging his feet if we are being honest. He seemed absolutely miserable.

I elbowed the kid next to me.

"Who's that kid?" He turned to look at me with an annoyed expression, but stopped himself when he saw who I was.

"That's Dan Howell. I guess you didn't go to Mitch Field middle school." I shook my head "no". I had just moved from the town over so I didn't know nobody in this school and no one knew me, which was just what I wanted, a fresh new start.

"Well, he used to be very popular in middle school. He was best friends with the star football player of his school, which automatically made him popular." I rolled my eyes at the snobbish way he said that which made him shrink back a little. "Anyways they seemed to have had a fall out last year and yesterday he came out in social media as gay. So now people are saying that they broke off their friendship because he forced himself on Jason, and he didn't like it so he beat him up."

"And you believe all the crap you hear?" I must have said that with a little more bite than I intended to because the kid started shaking on the spot.

"Can I go now?" He asked biting his lip nervously. I waved a dismissive hand his way, and turned around to leave.

"Thanks for the information."

I wasn't much for gossip. I didn't understand why people had the strong urge to talk about other people's business without their consent. Besides, if there is anything I learned from the countless telephone games we played in middle school was that the more a story is passed around the less it resembles the truth.

One thing was for sure. Dan Howell had just landed himself a one-way ticket to the bottom of the social foot chain. I shook my head as I enter my first class of the school year.

-/-

I was surprised to find out that Dan and me actually had a couple class together, English and History, my two favorite subjects. I couldn't help but stare at him as the professor drone on and on about the Boston tea party and all it stood for.

I tilted my head to the side and squinted my eyes.

Dan didn't seem like someone who would force himself on his best friend, much less anyone for that matter. Dan had brown curly hair and matching eyes that had this sort of warmth to them that made you feel accepted no matter who you were. I also noticed he had a dimple on his right cheek that looked like a sad face when he smiled, which was rare for him, unless it was a fake one to keep up pretenses with his teachers.

Although, part of me didn't understand why he would come out to all his peers in social media. Another part of me was jealous that he could be himself and did not have to pretend to be someone he wasn't, even if that made him a target for bullying. He didn't care what people said or how they looked at him in the hallways, like he had some strange disease that was extremely contagious. He'd rather face all the hate than live a lie. I mean, why else would he commit social suicide the day before classes started if he cared?

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat as if he felt my gaze on him. He suddenly turned around and looked straight at me. My breath caught in my throat when my eyes made contact with his brown ones across the room. I was caught off guard by his sudden attention on me. It was so much that instead of smiling at him like I wanted, I scowled, successfully scaring him off for months to come.

I sighed with a sense of deep disappointment.

 **Present**

There was another part of me, a much smaller part, that felt a deep admiration for the smaller brunette, and maybe just maybe something else. I just wasn't sure what that 'something' was yet. However, it was enough to have me agree to be Dan's math tutor when Mr. Goodman personally asked me to help him two weeks ago. It seemed he wasn't doing too good in that subject, lucky for him I was kind of amazing at it. But of course, I just had to go ahead and ruin it by being a total jerk to him.

"Ughhh." I groaned when I saw that Dan hadn't replied to any of my texts from last night or that morning apologizing. He was definitely mad.

Of course his angry, you practically threw him to the wolves yesterday! I thought, suppressing the sudden urge I had to slam my head against my desk in frustration. Thankfully, the bell for next period rang at that moment, successfully snapping me from my brooding thoughts.

I conveniently had next period with Dan. No matter what, I had to talked to him and apologize. I made the decision right then that before the day ended me and Dan Howell were going to be friends.

A/N Hey guys I have another chapter for you this week. Sorry it's kind of late. I had the worst writer's block ever coming up with this chapter, but yesterday I went out with some friends and just relaxed for a while. Then today when I woke up, I had the sudden urge to write lol. Favorite and comment for more! Let me know what you think of the story so far. Happy Father's day! Next chapter will be back to Dan's POV.


	6. Chapter 6

**Dan**

I was walking to third period, minding my own business, when I was suddenly yanked inside the utility room. It was dark inside, but I could still make out another figure in the tight space with me. I open my mouth to yell, thinking it was one of Jason's goons trying to get a beating before class, but was silenced by a hand over my mouth.

"Shhh, Dan is me Phil." There was suddenly light in the room and Phil face came into view. He must have pulled the switch on.

"Phil? What the hell are you doing? You scared the life out me. I thought you were one of Jason's friend for a second there."

"Sorry, I needed to talk to you." He said rubbing the back of his neck which I couldn't help, but find endearing. I felt the corner of my lip twitch, but quickly covered it up with a frown.

"About?"

"Are you mad at me?" He asked cautiously as if afraid to upset me any further. This for some reason, made my heart start to beat faster.

"I am sorry for leaving you yesterday like that. It was wrong of me." He lowered his head in shame and looked up at me with big blue eyes. He looked like an oversized puppy that had been kicked out and left in the rain. My eyes widen at what I was thinking. Until that day, I never thought I would describe _Phil Lester_ as a puppy. Oh, how things had changed.

I sighed and let my whole mad façade fall apart. I wasn't one to hold grudges anyways.

"I am not mad at you Phil. I am just confused. Why would you help me if you are just going to deny it later? It's like you turn into a whole different person when other people are around."

"I am sorry, I just don't want people to treat me differently or think less of me." I felt my heart clench painfully in my chest.

"So you're saying hanging out with me is not good for your image?"

"No! No, that's not what I meant! I just…" Phil groaned in frustration and began pacing around the small room. After a while he stopped and looked at me, taking in a shaky breath before speaking. "Look, I used to be kind of a loser in middle school. I was the weird kid with an obsession to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, stuffed lions, and poorly designed online games." I couldn't help giggling at the stuffed lion part. Phil glared at me playfully.

"Yeah, I was even in the math club and everything. Talk about dork huh?" Phil sighed, and took a seat on an old rusty chair across from me.

"The other kids used to pick on me all the time for it. Then suddenly in high school, people started treating me differently for looking the way I did…it was nice having people respect me for a change." I felt my heart go out to Phil at his confession. He had been bullied for being different too, just like me.

Suddenly, Phil Lester didn't seem so intimidating anymore. He was like any of the other hundreds of students there who just wanted to be accepted.

I took a deep breath then, and walked over to Phil, cautiously placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Phil I hate to break it to you, but those people don't respect you. They fear you." I said carefully, afraid I might offend him. Instead, he gave me a feeble half smile in return.

"I guess you're right." He chuckled, but there was no humor behind it. We were quite after that, only the sound of our breathing filling the room. Finally, Phil stood up and looked straight at me.

"I really want to be your friends Dan."

"What? Why?" I asked in confusion, taking my hand back and furrowing my brow. Why would someone like Phil want to be friend with me? The school resident gay freak and Jason's personal punching bag.

"You seem interesting." He said simply, leaning back on the wall across from me.

My eyes widen at his statement, my mind automatically thinking of the worse. _Did he somehow find out I liked to_ _crossdress_ _?_

"There is nothing interesting about me." I said a bit too defensively, making him raise an eyebrow at me.

He eyed me weirdly for a second, before shrugging.

"You are the opposite of me. You are not afraid to be yourself in public. I think that's pretty cool."

"Umm thanks?" I said furrowing my brow again, not sure how to react to that.

"Look, it feels like everyone in this school is faking being something they aren't just to fit in, including me. You are the only real person in here." He looked at me seriously, making my mouth run dry and guilt start to built inside me. I felt like such a hypocrite.

"Dan?"

"Okay, okay. I forgive you, alright? Can we just leave now, please? We are going to be so late for class if we stay any longer." I said grabbing the door knob and looking up at him anxiously for a sign to proceed.

He grinned up at me and my legs literally turned to Jell-O. God, help me.

"So friends?"

I swallow thickly at his question, my hands beginning to sweat, and glanced at him from the corner of my eyes.

"I didn't say that."

"But, I thought…" He trailed off, seemingly at a loss for words. I sighed wearily and turned around to look at him with what I hoped was an apologetic expression.

"I said, I forgave you Phil. Not that we were friends." I said carefully, cringing at the awkwardness of the situation. It was hard watching the smile fall from Phil's face and a frown replace his once lax expression. I bit my lip and pulled at the edge of my long-sleeves, feeling anxiety start to claw at my mind. Was it me or the room was getting smaller? It was suddenly becoming harder to breath.

Phil was now looking at me with concern in his pretty eyes. I shook my head at him and took a deep breath to calm down my nerves, before speaking again.

"Look, last time I got close to someone, things didn't turn out exactly good for me. I kind of got screwed over." I couldn't help the small amount of bitterness that slipped from my lips and intertwined with my words. "That why, I don't need anybody nor am I looking for any friends. I just…I just want to get through this year in one piece."

Phil face soften at my confession and he gazed at me with what looked like pity. I hated when people looked at me like that.

"Aren't you lonely though? I know you say you don't need friends, but don't you want them? I see how you look at the other kids and their friends, like you want to join them. And what about Jason? I don't get why you just don't tell someone about the bullying. Is it because you don't want to face reality and deal with the situation? Or is it because you still care about him and don't want to get him in trouble…maybe both?"

I narrowed my eyes at him and clenched my hands. Why was he doing this now? He never cared before, why did he start suddenly caring? Who even gave him the right to analyze me like that? And yes, maybe he was right. I did feel lonely. I did feel envious of the other kids with their friend, having fun. I certainly didn't want to face reality, because sometime reality was more terrifying than anything you could come up with on your own. And maybe, I wasn't mad at Phil per say, but at how easily he had stripped me down to nothing and left me feeling vulnerable and naked. One thing was for sure, I didn't like feeling that way. I didn't like it one bit.

"It's not like you have any friends either. Everyone is too scared to even come near you." I snapped at him, but instantly regretted it the moment the words left my mouth. His face hardened and he clenched his jaw as if he was trying not to show how much that comment had affected him.

"Phil, I-I am sorry." I said weakly, lowering my head in shame. Why did I always have to ruin everything?

"It's okay." He said softly after a while, catching me off guard when he tilted my head upwards by my chin. He gave me a small smile and I felt my face turn three shades of red. I felt like a total jerk for snapping at him like that right then and there.

"W-we can still meet up for tutoring. We can go to my house today after school to study. That way the other students won't see you. I'll text you later for the details." I stopped myself, before I could babble any further. _Real smooth Dan, real smooth._

Phil flashed me a bright smile, once again succeeding in making my insides turn to goo. That smile was going to be the death of me.

"It's a date then." He said in a deep voice that had my skin buzzing. Yeah, Phil Lester was going to be the death of me.

 **N/A Wow, two updates in one week! I know, I know, weird right? Anyways, things are finally moving along with the story. I am excited to write the next chapter. A lot of things are going to happened! So what do you guys think about Phil, now that you know a little more about him? And what about Dan not wanting to be friends with him? I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Favorite and comment for more!**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Dan's POV

A tired sigh escaped my lips as I slammed the door to my locker shut after putting away all my textbooks for tomorrow. I then threw my backpack over my shoulder and began walking toward the exit.

My eyes widen in surprise at the huge crowd of students waiting outside of the door for their friends or significant other to come out. I groaned and brushed a hand threw my hair in frustration. It was for this exact reason, I usually liked to wait a couple of minutes after the last bell to start heading out. However, I had decided to leave on time today, for ones, after making plans with Phil to meet outside of the school. What I did not count on was on the throng of students racing all at the same time to go home.

After much effort and groaning, I managed to squeezed through and get out in one piece. I then began looking around for icy blue eyes and a jet-black fringe.

There were hundred of students all around the school's premise, making it almost impossible to find anyone.

Most of them were waiting at the edge of the sidewalk for their bus or loitering around along with their friends. I recognized Jason's group as being one of those who were hanging back. They were talking among themselves and playfully shoving each other in what was considered a "manly" way.

Jason was sitting down on the grass beside a petite brunette with hazel eyes. He had his arm around her waist and was laughing at something she had said. I think she was a cheerleader if the cropped top and skimpy skirt was anything to go by.

I felt all the colors drain from my face when Jason turned around and his gaze met mine. He smirked evilly at me when he realized I had been staring. He then grabbed the girl by the neck and started making out with her in broad daylight.

My heart sank.

I knew that I shouldn't care, but I couldn't help it. Jason and I had been best friends since first grade, having him deliberately try to hurt me was like a stab right to the heart.

I finally forced myself to look away and down to the floor when tongues started getting involved. I felt like an idiot standing there alone, watching Jason with his friends.

"Get a room!" Someone yelled from a distance.

I gasped at the familiar voice and turned around to see Phil walking towards me, wearing a look of disgust on his face as he watched Jason and the girl.

"Gross, that has to be like the fourth girl he has hooked up this month. I wouldn't be surprised if Syphilis and Chlamydia were playing hockey all up on his junk." Phil mumbled under his breath ones he was next to me.

I couldn't stop the stream of laughter that came out from my mouth when he said that. It wasn't only what he had said that was funny but the way he gagged childishly at the scene in front of him. I didn't even remember the last time I laughed so hard. In fact, I was still chuckling minutes later when I noticed Phil staring at me in awe. I blushed bright red and cough to hide my embarrassment.

"Did you really just say that?" I smile and rose a playful eyebrow at him.

Phil grinned widely and glanced at Jason one more time. His eyes seemed to gleam as an idea struck him.

He then placed an arm around my shoulders and leaned forward to whisper in my ear.

"I believe I did." A shiver went down my spine as he warm breath tickled my ear. He paused for a second before chuckling lowly in my ear. I was about to ask him what he was doing, but he leaned back before I could, sending me a discrete wink as he did so. Understanding dawn on me then.

To anyone else we looked like two good friend who were close, everyone including Jason.

"Are you ready to go?" He asked with mirth dancing in his eyes.

I glanced back at Jason only to find him already glaring at us. I grinned widely at him, jealous much?

"Let's go." I said, directing my attention back to Phil and feeling incredibly grateful to him in that moment. So much, that I almost regretted not taking his offer of being friends, _almost_.

-/-

I knew I needed to put distance between Phil and I, that nothing good would come from crushing on him. However, part of me couldn't deny the small amount of excitement that was bubbling in my chest at the thought of spending a day with Phil.

I could barely stop myself from smiling as I walked along side Phil to the parking lot. I usually went walking home since it wasn't too far from school, but Phil offered to give me a ride since we were heading the same way. I was specially in a good mood because of what Phil had done for me back at school. I felt my chest fill with gratitude towards him as I watched him from the corner of my eyes.

He was looking up ahead, a small smile playing on his lips as the wind caressed his dark hair. I felt my heart flutter inside my chest at how content and relaxed he looked, so much that I had to force myself to look away lest I couldn't speak.

"Umm Phil?"

"Hmmm?"

"T-thank you" I whispered so quietly, I was sure he hadn't heard me. However, I was taken by surprised when he stopped walking and turned to look at me.

Phil had his head tilted to the side and his brow furrowed in a silent question.

"F-for what you did back there, that was really nice of you," My eyes widen as a frightening thought struck me, "but aren't you scare people are going to start to talk?" I nibbled on my bottom lip and felt my fingers twitch at my sides, anxiously wanting to tug at my sleeves.

Phil met my gaze and stared deep into my eyes, as if he could find all the answer inside of my deep brown orbs.

Finally, after what seem like years, he sighed and turned around to continue walking. Baffled, I went after him, matching his speed once more as be began to speak again.

"The way, I see it. People are going to talk regardless of what I do." Phil said nonchalantly, surprising me with his answer. Was he changing his mind about being seeing with me? Could it be?

"Besides it was totally worth it to see that jerks face." He said, grinning from ear to ear. A smile of my own tugged at the corners of my lips but it quickly fell the moment my eyes laid on Phil's vehicle of transportation.

"You own a motorcycle?" I said numbly, feeling my face pale. A complete contrast to Phil's brightening eyes and enthusiastic head nod.

"Is this also to help with your image?" I said, trying to make sense of the two-wheel contraption.

"No, I just like motorcycles." He shrugged and smiled easily.

"Although, I am a bit clumsy so it took a long time to learn how to drive it properly." He said as an afterthought and burst out laughing when he saw my horrified expression.

"O-Oh God, I am going to d-die, aren't I?" I asked in horror, eyeing the motorcycle distrustfully.

"Oh hush, you'll be fine. Here." He rolled his eyes playfully and handed me a helmet.

I put it on and hesitantly got on behind him.

He turned on the ignition on and motorcycle roared to life.

"hold on tight."

"wha-"

Before I could finish my sentence, we were moving forward and out of the school parking lot. A surprised squeak slipped my lips and my hands flew out to wrap around Phil's torso.

I could hear Phil's rich laughter in the air and my heart racing along with the engine. The only difference being that my heart kept going at the same pace even after we reached my house.

-/-

As soon as we stepped foot inside my house, my mom's head poked out from the kitchen entrance. Her eyes gleamed with excitement as they fell on Phil, a big smile splitting her face.

I frowned at her poorly conceal enthusiasm and took a step in-front of Phil as a sort of barrier from my crazy mother.

"Hi mom, we are home." I greeted with a tight smile, begging her with my eyes not to embarrass me in front of Phil. Of course, she decided to completely disregard my look of distress in favor of asking a billion questions at the speed of light.

"Hi dear, how was school? Is this the friend you mention was helping you with math?" She asked, eyeing Phil from head to toe. "His cute! How come it's the first time I've heard about him or seen him? Are you hiding something from me?" She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

I blushed bright red and hid my face behind my hands.

"Mom! We are just friends." I said mortified, wanting no more than to dig a hole in the ground and jump in it.

My mom always did this every time I brought people over (not that it happened a lot), something about it being her job as a mom to embarrass her children. Phil shoulders were shaking beside me as he tried not to burst out laughing at my expense.

"It's okay honey, you can tell me anything. I am your mom, you know."

"Mom…" I whined, feeling my face grow even hotter at the awkwardness of the situation. Noticing my distress, Phil cleared his throat loudly and extended his hand toward my mother.

"I am Phil Lester, a classmate of Daniel. We become _friends_ a few weeks ago, after I offer to help him with Algebra. It's a pleasure to meet you Ms. Howell." My mom blushes and all but giggled when Phil flashed her a charming smile.

He then smirked at me when he saw me gawking at him in disbelief.

"Oooh I like him Danny. He is a keeper." My mom said to me with a wink, snapping me from my stupor, and making me face-palm.

"Like I said, we are just friend. Now, if you would excuse us. We are going to my room to work on some homework."

"Come on Phil." I grabbed his hand and dragged him to my room upstairs.

"Leave your door op-" I slammed the door shut before she could finish her sentence. _Ugh, I love my mom, but she could be so annoying sometimes._

"I thought she was pretty funny actually." My eyes widen when I realized I had said that out loud.

"I guess, doesn't make it any less annoying though." I said, rolling my eyes, and made my way to my bed. I threw my bag pack on the floor and took off my shoes as I crawled onto the mattress. I laid down comfortably and let out a happy sigh. _Finally, I was home._

I felt the bed dip as Phil took a sit next to me.

"So, friend huh?" He asked teasingly, amusement swirling in his pretty blue eyes.

I sighed before sitting up and glancing at him.

"My mom been concerned about me not having any friends. I sort of lie to her and told her you were my friend so she wouldn't worry so much." I said, fidgeting with my long sleeves. God, I probably sounded like such a loser right then.

My fidgeting grew to a stop when Phil grabbed one of my hands and massaged the top with his thumb.

"That's actually pretty sweet of you Dan. I wish you didn't have to lie though."

"Phil…"

"I feel like I am paying for what Jason did to you which I still don't know what happen between you guys."

I frowned and took my hand away.

"You know what happen. You heard the rumors, didn't you?"

"Yeah, but those are just rumors," He scoffed. "I want to hear your side of the story. I feel like there is more to it than what people are saying."

My eyes widen and my body froze. That was the first time someone had bothered to ask me what had happen instead of listening to what Jason or other people said. Not that I had tried to correct them either, it was just easier to let them talk and believe what they wanted.

"It's not like you are going to believe me even if I told you." It not like anyone did before, I added mentally.

He scoffed and crossed his arms expectantly.

"Try me."

I bite my lip and stared at Phil's blue pools. They were so full of acceptance, warmth, and understanding. It almost felt like I was floating in them while facing the sun.

"I-I never forced myself on Jason. I would never do that to my best friend." I choked out, feeling tear accumulating in the corner of my eyes.

I felt Phil warm arms go around me in a tight hug. At first my body stiffen but it quickly relaxed in the warm embrace. For some reason, I really wanted Phil to believe me, to know that I wasn't the kind of person who would do that.

"I-It's true that I did have a crush on him back in middle school, b-but I would give anything just to have my best friend back." I felt tears race down my now flush cheeks as I repeatedly blinked. Phil gently pulled me away and wiped my tear with his thumb.

"What happened Danny?"

I felt a pang on my chest as memories of what happened flashed through my mind. I turned my head to the side and bit my lip.

"Can we drop it? I don't really want to talk about it. It's in the past and I just want to forget it."

Phil grew still as he eyed me with concern. I blushed and began shyly tugging on the edge of my sleeve.

"I am sorry for getting emotional like that. We should start studying before it gets too late." I said reaching for my bookbag and pulling out my textbooks. Phil hesitantly started doing the same and soon we were having a full out study session.

I was on my third problem when Phil stopped me by gently putting his hand on top of mine.

"Hey you know if you ever need to talk to someone I'm here." Phil said with a serious expression that contrasted greatly with his warm hold on my hand.

I flashed him a timid smile and nodded. "Thank you." I said, shivering slightly as a cold wind entered from my open window.

"You're shivering." He frowned, "Stay here, I'll go get you a sweater." Phil stood up and headed toward my walk-in closet.

My eye widened in panic when I saw him reach for my closet, thoughts of Phil discovering my secret bombarding my mind. _How could I have forgotten about that!_ I quickly shot up and took a step forward.

"No!"

 **N/A Cliffhanger! Sorry guys, I decide to end it here because I won't have time to finish this chapter until next week and I didn't want to leave you waiting for so long. What do you guys think Dan will say to Phil? Do you think Phil will discover Dan's secret? Also, we learned a lot about Jason and Dan's past friendship in this chapter. What's that about? I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Comment and like for more!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Dan's POV**

"No!"

Phil stopped in his tracks and rose an eyebrow at me.

"Yes?"

"I-I'll just close the window. You don't have to get me anything," I said, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him back towards the room.

"You sure?" He went to look back at the closet, but I quickly placed a hand on his cheek and turned his attention back to me. I blushed and let go of his face, smiling nervously up at him.

"Y-yeah, I'm sure. D-don't sweat it," I said, trying to sound casual and failing terribly by stuttering.

Phil narrowed his eyes at me and watched as I fidgeted with my sleeves. He stared at me for a bit longer, before nodding his head slowly. We laid back down on the bed and finished doing the math problems we had left. All the while, Phil kept sneaking suspicious glances at my closet.

I was so relieved when he finally left that I felt like crying. I thought that was the worst of it, and that come tomorrow, he would have forgotten about the whole thing.

Boy, was I delusional.

Phil's curiosity only grew the more he came over to my house. His gaze would continuously wander to my closet, and he would all but jump at the chance to go get me something from it. The worst part was, I was too busy panicking inside to really learn anything during our tutoring sessions.

One day we were studying on my bed, both of us engrossed in our work, when Phil casually stated, "I know you're hiding something from me." He hadn't even looked up as he said it.

I flinched and looked at him with wide eyes, the half-finished problem I was working on forgotten.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about." Phil scoffed and closed his book.

"Don't play dumb, Dan."

"I'm not hiding anything," I said defensively, turning my back to him and sitting at the edge of the bed.

"Then why do you get so nervous whenever I go near your closet."

 _Silence._

I didn't know what to say to that.

Phil sighed and my eyes started to water.

I sniffled quietly, but I guess it was loud enough because in a fraction of a moment Phil was right beside me with eyes full of concern.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you upset. It's just…I think I know what you're hiding."

My eyes widened and my heart started to race. Could he possibly know? No, there was no way. He couldn't know, but what if…

Phil placed a hand on my shoulder and gently whispered, "Dan, are you…are you hiding drugs in your closet?"

"Wait, what!? No!" I shot up to my feet and looked at him in disbelief, feeling slightly offended he would think that. It's not that I had anything against people that did, but it just wasn't for me.

"So, what is it then?" He stood up and crossed his arms, raising an expectant eyebrow. Now we were both standing in the middle of my bedroom, staring each other down, homework long forgotten on the bed.

"Um, that's where my mom keeps… keeps all my embarrassing pictures from when I was younger. I'd really rather you don't see those," I said smoothly, surprised at how easily the lie fell from my lips.

Phil eyes widened and his lips formed an 'O'. He then began apologizing profusely for his 'mistake', cheeks red in embarrassment.

"I'm really sorry for jumping to conclusions like that. I swear it won't happen again." He said, flustered, his hands moving as he spoke.

I forced a laugh out and waved him off, suddenly feeling sick to my stomach. I was a horrible person.

"It's okay. You didn't know," I said, wanting him to stop and change the topic.

"Hey, I totally get it. Everyone has something they're embarrassed about." He paused and chuckled as if remembering something. "You should see my Buffy The Vampire Slayer DVD collection, now _that's_ embarrassing."

I put a hand over my mouth to stop myself from giggling, which Phil took notice of nonetheless. He pouted at me childishly, making me grin.

"I think it's cool that you have something you're passionate about," I said honestly, and was blessed with one of Phil's full teeth smiles. A grin so bright that it put city lights to shame and left me breathless every time I saw it.

"Phil-"

I wasn't sure what I was about to say, but before I could finish my sentence, I was cut off by a buzzing noise coming from Phil's pant pocket.

He pulled out his phone and sighed after reading what was on the screen.

"It's my mom, she says we're having a family dinner tonight and that she needs me home."

"Okay, I'll walk you out."

"Nah, it's okay. I'll see you tomorrow." He waved me off and quickly gathered his things.

Once he was gone, I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

"Finally, alone."

I went back to the bed and began putting things away. It was while I was putting my math textbook in my book bag that I noticed an Apple iPod laying on the bed.

"Phil most have left it by accident." _I can always give it to him tomorrow at school,_ I thought tossing it inside my book bag.

"Now that that's settled…." I glanced at my walk-in closet and a smile broke across my face.

I turned on _Heartthrob_ by Super Fruit on my laptop and walked over to my closet. I opened the door and stepped inside, caressing the soft clothes with my fingertips as I walked by. I stopped in front of the dresses and examined the options. After much thought, I decided on a knee length light pink dress paired with cream All Star Converse.

"Now for the final touch."

I pulled out a box from the top shelf and opened it to reveal a flower crown.

I was about to put in on when I heard a gasp come from behind me.

Phil was standing near the entrance with one hand on the edge of the door. His expression was one of shock which quickly morphed into confusion and disbelief.

"Dan? What are you…what are you wearing?"

I started back at him in horror, unable to hear him over the sound of my beating heart.

"What are you doing here!? You were supposed to be home!" I cried out with my hands on my head, full out panicking. My breathing was coming out erratically and my hands were shaking at my side.

I felt like crying, why did he have to find me like this? How was I going to explain this to him?

Noticing my distress, Phil walked over and wrapped his arms around me. I tried to escape his hold, feeling incredibly awkward, but he only held me tighter.

"Breathe, Dan. _Breathe._ " His words brought me back to the first time he had comforted me a couple weeks ago. The only difference was that this time he was the cause of my anxiety.

It took a while but my breathing eventually became regular again and my heart rate slowed down.

Once I was calm enough to think clearly, I let out a shaky breath and took a step back.

Taking the hint, Phil let go of me and gave me some space. I refused to look at him all the while, too scared of what I would find in those bright blue eyes of his.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly, his voice full of concern.

My breath caught in my throat at how sincere he sounded and I forced myself to meet his gaze. His eyes weren't full of judgment and disgust like I thought they would be. Instead, Phil's blue pools were muggy with worry and brimming with something akin to curiosity.

I felt like a weight was lifted from my shoulder as I automatically felt much better at knowing that Phil was only worried about me.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry for getting like that. You just surprised me," I said, brushing the wetness from my eyes with the back of my hand.

Phil bit his lip and looked at me with guilt. "I came back to get my iPod, but I couldn't find it. I saw the closet door ajar and though you might have been inside. And well…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have barged in like that." He pulled a handkerchief from his jacket and handed it to me.

I took it and smiled gratefully at him.

"Thanks, and it's okay."

He smiled back and nodded.

"So…I hope I'm not being nosy, but I'm curious. Why _are_ you wearing girls' clothes?" I blushed and tugged at the end of my skirt.

"I um, like wearing girls' clothes, especially if they're pastel. They're just so pretty, and soft, and calming…."

Phil was quiet for a moment, appearing to be considering something.

"So… are you transgender?" There wasn't any judgement behind his words, but mere curiosity akin to that of a child. I smiled and shook my head.

Phil then tilted his head in a silent question. I bit my bottom lip as I thought of how to put what I felt into words.

"No, I know I'm a guy. It's just, some days I feel…softer and daintier. More feminine, I guess. On those days, I like dressing up as a girl. However, there are somedays that I feel stronger, rougher, and more confident. On those days, I like dressing more masculine. It has nothing to do with my sex or sexuality. But I guess if I had to choose a label for myself, it would be genderqueer."

Phil nodded his head, considering my words.

"That's pretty cool, you know, that you don't conform to society norms about gender. I always thought the notion that pink is for girls and blue is for boys was pretty dumb."

I looked at Phil with wide eyes. I never knew he was so open-minded about things like this. Then again, he never seemed like the type to bully people for being different in the first place. Like me, he was deemed the weird kid in school and bullied for being different. He probably knew all too well what it felt like to be judged.

"Plus, you have more clothes options than everyone else! How cool is that? If I was you, I would never leave the mall."

I chuckled and shook my head at him fondly, before addressing him more seriously.

"So, you are okay with it? You don't think is…weird?" I asked timidly, looking at him through my eyelashes.

"No, but even if I did, the only thing that matters is how you feel." Phil picked up the flower crown from the floor and placed it on my head. "It suits you."

I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep myself from blushing and smiling like a love-struck girl. I liked wearing dresses, but I still had my dignity as a man.

My eyes widened as a thought struck me.

"Please don't tell anyone at school about this. Everyone already hates me for being gay, I don't want to give them another reason to go after me."

"I promise I won't tell anyone." I let out a relieved sigh, then stiffened at his next words, " _If_ you stop avoiding me at school."

"What, but, I…how?" I stumbled over my words as I tried to make sense of what was happening.

"You thought I hadn't noticed that ever since the incident in the utility room you've been avoiding me?" Phil narrowed his eyes at me accusingly. "Trust me. You weren't subtle. You literally ran away when you saw me the other day in the hallway," he said, sounding utterly unimpressed.

I winced and took a step back. "I'm sorry, but it's just…I'm scared that if people see you with me they'll think you're gay too," I admitted with a sigh.

A chuckle slipped Phil's lips, and he eyed me with amusement. "Well, it wouldn't be too far from the truth."

"Really? Why?" I asked, genuinely curious.

Phil tugged a strand of hair behind my ear and smirked at me.

"Because I'm bi."

 **A/N The big secret is finally out! Wow, never thought I would get this far lol. What do you guys think of Phil's reaction? Is it everything you dream and hope for? Do you think Dan has a chance with Phil now that he knows he is bi? Also I want to give a big thank you to FyrandTheGryffinclaw for being awesome and editing this chapter for me.**

 **Comment and like for more!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

When someone comes out, good friends usually go into inspirational speeches about how they accept the person for who they are and don't care about their sexuality. However, the only thing I could manage to do was stare at Phil with my jaw slacked like a handless puppet.

"You're bisexual? Seriously?" I asked, dumbfounded. That sounded too good to be true, the guy I like suddenly coming out as bi. Those things only happened in movies and fictional stories.

Phil squared his shoulders and stared me dead in the eyes. "I wouldn't joke about something like this, Dan." My mind began to spin when I realized he was serious.

"Wow," I said to myself, taking a seat on the bed and letting out breath. "Sorry, it's just I didn't expect this. Does anyone else know?" Phil bit the inside of his mouth as he considered the question. I wondered if he'd ever cut the inside of his cheek by doing that.

"Most of my family knows, but nobody at school." I nodded slowly, processing the new information. I didn't really blame Phil for not being out to the school yet. I don't think I would have come out if I'd had a choice.

"Is your family okay with you being bi?" I asked cautiously, afraid of stepping on a land mine.

"My parents and brother are supportive, and they're the only people who matter to me." He paused and chuckled to himself. "They told me they don't care who I like as long as I'm happy. Kind of corny, huh?"

I frowned, not finding the humor in his joke.

"At least your parents actually listened to you when you came out," I said bitterly, unable to stop the pang of envy I felt at hearing how supportive Phil's parents had been. Why couldn't my dad say those things to me, or at least acknowledge that part of me?

"Your mom seems really cool about you being gay though," Phil said casually, sitting down next to me and leaning back on his arms.

"It's not her, it's my dad. He completely ignores me when I try to talk to him about being gay." I let my shoulders slump in defeat as I felt all the energy leave my body.

Phil gave me a look of pity and hesitantly put a hand on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry Dan. That's must be tough."

I shook my head and faced him. "It's fine, sorry for making this about me after you went through the trouble of coming out." I groaned, "Ugh, I'm such an inconsiderate idiot." Here I was, complaining about my dad not being supportive, but I was just as bad as he was.

"Don't say that." Phil frowned and let go of my shoulder in favor of my hand. "This is nothing compared to coming out to the whole school. That takes real guts, Dan."

I pursed my lips together in a straight line, suddenly feeling sick to my stomach.

"It's not like that, Phil. I…" I took a deep breath and moved my hand away. "I came out because I was afraid Jason would out me to the school. I figured, I'd rather do it myself than have someone else do it for me. I'm not-… I'm not the brave guy you think I am." I let my head fall between my shoulder along with my spirits, too ashamed to meet his eyes.

The bed shifted and my stomach fell. Was he so disappointed that he needed to leave?

I thought for sure he would turn his back on me after knowing the truth, but he surprised me when instead he tilted my chin up with his thumb and index finger and forced me to meet his gaze.

"That doesn't change the fact that it took courage to do what you did. You were the one who had to come out and face everyone the next day, not Jason. Don't let him take that away from you."

I felt my eyes start to tear up at his kind words. "You know, Phil, you're actually a good guy. A _really_ good guy. I can't believe I thought you were some kind of thug when I first met you." I shook my head at how absurd the notion sounded now that I knew Phil better. He was nothing like the rumors had painted him to be. He was so much more than that.

He could be a goof at times but he was wiser then he let on. He was also an optimist while I was more pessimistic in my views, not to mention how stubborn he was. Every time I pushed him away he only pushed back while anybody else would had given up by now. He was always smiling when it was just us two and was protective of the people close to him. He was also surprisingly shameless which made me want to strangle him and kiss him all at the same time. Despite his looks, Phil was one of the kindness people I knew.

I was about to tell him this, but froze when I saw his face. Maybe I had spoken too soon.

Phil was slyly smirking at me, his eyes glinting with mischief. "You know," he drawled, "I can be bad when I want to."

Before I knew what was happening, Phil had pushed me down on the bed and was laid down top of me.

I blushed beet red. "What are you-"

Before I could finish talking, Phil sat up on my lap and started tickling my sides, making me burst out in uncontrollable laughter.

"Staaahp!" I tried to say in-between streams of laughter, attempting to push him away and failing terribly.

"Never!" His rich laughter bounced through the room as he let his fingers run free. They grazed along the skin on my lower stomach, leaving pleasant tingles in their place and making me blush three shades of red. Luckily, Phil was oblivious to how I was feeling, assuming my reddened face was from me laughing too hard.

After a lot of squirming and twisting, I was finally able to push him off me.

"You're horrible," I said, still laughing.

"Told you so." He turned over and grinned at me. I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't hide the smile on my face even if I tried.

We laid back down, this time side by side, trying to catch our breath, and settled in comfortable silence. Once my breathing had evened out, I turned to look at him.

"How long have you known you were bisexual?" I asked, suddenly wanting to know as much as I could about the boy lying next to me.

Phil looked up at the ceiling as if deep in thought. "I guess, I always knew that I was attracted to both girls and boys, but I didn't want to accept it. I ignored my attraction to boys and only dated girls for a while. But recently, I started feeling more comfortable with myself."

"Why is that?"

Phil looked away and smiled to himself, before turning over to me. "I started liking this boy at school and I couldn't deny it anymore."

The way Phil was looking at me as he said that made my heart start to beat faster and my face heat up. I wasn't sure why I was blushing or feeling so self-conscious all of a sudden. I wanted to ask who his crush was, but I didn't want to be nosy.

I bit my lip. Could he be talking about me? No, I thought, and I shook my head. There was no way Phil was referring to me. I was too much off a mess, too weird for anyone to like me. I was probably making up signs in my head, seeing what I wanted to see.

"You okay Dan?"

"Y-yeah." No.

I cleared my throat and tried to change the subject. "Do you think you'll ever come out to the school?"

Our school wasn't necessarily homophobic, per-say. It was like any other school; some people were very supportive while others were indifferent to homosexuality. I just happened to get more hate for it because Jason turned everyone against me.

Phil sighed and sat up. "I'm not as brave as you, Dan. I want to think I'll eventually do it, but I'm not sure when that'll be." He smiled sadly at me and I felt my heart go out to him.

"I…I didn't feel brave at all when I came out. I was absolutely terrified about how people would react and treat me afterwards. I had to write my coming out post three times because my hands wouldn't stop shaking long enough for me to type.

"Even now, I still get anxious when I have to tell people that I'm gay. You never know how some people will react." I paused to gather my thoughts. "I guess what I'm saying is that coming out isn't easy and you shouldn't feel pressure to do it like I did. You should do it when you're ready." I mumbled the last part and lowered my gaze, suddenly feeling embarrassed for going off into a rambling tangent.

Phil sat up and turned toward me. "Dan, look at me, please." I slowly met his gaze, blushing at our proximity. I could feel his warm breath on my face. He smiled gently at me and pulled me into a warm hug. "Thank you for saying all that."

I sighed and melted into the hug. I was about to wrap my arm around him when the door slammed open. Phil jerked away and I scrambled to make myself look acceptable.

"Hey boys, do you want something to drin-" my mom stopped to smirk at us, lowering the two cups of lemonade in her hands. "Am I interrupting something?"

My face flushed pink as my mouth opened in horror. Phil, on the other hand, looked extremely amused by the whole ordeal. That spork.

I spoke, "No, you didn't, Mom. God, have you ever heard of knocking?" I covered my face with my hands to avoid looking at anyone. I could distinctly hear Phil snickering next to me.

"Why do I need to knock if you aren't doing anything?" Oh God, could she be any more embarrassing?

"Mom, please just leave the drinks on the table and go…just go."

My mom giggled as she walked away, closing the door with a thud.

Phil choose that moment to burst out laughing.

I glared at him. "You're terrible."

"Aw come on, Danny, that was pretty funny." I rolled my eyes, but couldn't help blush at the nickname.

"Whatever."

Phil looked at his watch and frowned.

"I should be heading home. It's getting kind of late." I watched as he picked up his stuff and got ready to leave. "I'll see you at school."

I don't know what came over me, but before he could leave I grabbed him by his sleeve. "I umm, take back what I said. I wouldn't mind being friends with you, Phil."

Phil seemed shocked at first, but then he flashed me a dazzling smile. "I told you I would get you to be my friend somehow." I laughed and shook my head. I don't know how it happened, but Phil slowly became someone I could confide in and be myself around. He was now a constant in my life and I couldn't say I was unhappy about it.

A/N I am alive! Don't worry I am planning on finishing this story even if it pains me. I must have re-written this chapter three time and I'm still not sure I like it. Oh, well.

Anybody out there reading this, thank you for sticking with this story. I know is not your typical fanfiction in the sense that it has a slower pace. However, this was done intentional from my part.

The thing that I find most annoying is when two characters don't even know each other and they are already ready to jump in bed together. I want this story to be as realistic as a fanfiction can get. So that being said, I hope you don't mind the lack of phan so far. I tried to compensate by sprinkling some in this chapter lol.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

 **Phil's point of view**

"Are you okay, Dan?

I asked the brunette across the table from me, who for the better part of lunch had been pushing food around his plate aimlessly. He stopped what he was doing and slowly looked up at me. He regarded me blankly for a couple of seconds, before drawing his mouth into a straight line and frowning.

"Don't you feel awkward with all the stares we're getting?" he shifted in his seat uncomfortably as to make his point. "God, it's just like the first day of school," he muttered before lowering his gaze again. He looked like a kicked puppy with his sad brown eyes and messy mops of curls.

I suddenly felt the strange urge to ruffle his hair, so I did. His hair was as soft and fluffy as it looked.

Dan laughed and swatted my hand away.

"I'm not a dog, you know."

"Could have fooled me." I grinned and ducked out of the way when he threw a soggy fry at me.

He stuck his tongue at me and I snickered.

"I am serious, have you seen your fan-girl base? It's huge and they are currently glaring daggers at me." Dan faked a shiver, making me roll my eyes.

"Tough luck," I clicked my tongue. "We're are officially BFF now, so they better get used to us hanging out together." I snapped my fingers in a Z formation, making Dan break out into giggles.

Once he calmed down, he turned towards me with a grateful expression.

"Thanks Phil."

"For what?"

"For making me feel better and being my friend." I felt my stomach flutter at his words.

I wanted to tell him he had nothing to thank me for. That I should be the one thanking him for being _my_ friend and making me realize how dumb I was being by pretending to be someone I wasn't. I was done caring about what people thought of me, because the only person whose opinion matter was sitting right in front of me. However, before I could say as much I was rudely interrupted by Jason. I sighed heavily.

"Hey, Lester!"

I turned around to see Jason and his goons walking our way, and furrowed my brow.

I personally didn't have anything against the guy. I shared a few of my classes with him, and we had worked on school projects together in the past. I didn't mind having him as a partner. He was surprisingly smart for a jock. Plus, he was nice to look at. Charming too, if a bit cocky. I even thought we could be friends at one point, that is, until I found out he was a diehard homophobe, and liked tormenting Dan as a pass time.

"Dude, what are you doing sitting with this faggot? If you stick too close, you might catch his queer germs." Jason stopped in front of our table with Mark and Tom in either side of him.

I saw Dan try to make himself smaller from the corner of my eyes, which narrowed at Jason.

"Although I appreciate you concern, last time I check being gay wasn't contagious. Maybe if you weren't so ignorant you would know this." Jason eyes widen at my outburst. Mark and Tom were also regarding me with incredulous stares. From the distance, multiple gasp could be heard around us from nearby tables. I guess they weren't used to people telling off their star football player.

I knew it was probably a dumb move on my part. Not only did Jason have the support of 85% of the student body, but his dad was also the gym teacher and football coach. I was probably looking at about ten laps around the track field for talking to him like that, but I didn't care. Someone needed to stand up to that jerk.

Tom was the first one to snap out of his daze and glared at me with his dark blue orbs.

"Jason is only trying to do you a solid man. You hanging out with this little fag is reflecting bad on you. People are going to start thinking you are a faggot too."

I glance back at Dan and cursed under my breath at his guilty expression. I could practically see the gears inside his head turning and hear him beating himself up for ruining my reputation. I stood up and glowered at the three friends.

"Then I guess they are just as ignorant as him." I nodded toward Jason. "Me and Dan are friends. I am not going to stop talking to him because people are making things up. The fact that I hang out with him doesn't affect my sexuality." I wasn't lying either. I knew I was bisexual even before I met Dan. I just recently started to accept that part of me is all.

Jason face darken at being told off twice. Something in those dark brown eyes was unnerving. Suddenly his face split into a wicked smile.

"Whatever dude, don't say I didn't warn you." He shrugged, before walking away. However, I didn't miss the heated look he shot Dan's over his shoulder. Suddenly, I was glad he was far away from me because I would have punch him right in the face.

 **Dan point of view**

I could tell Phil was mad. It was obvious by his tense jaw and clenched fists. I wasn't sure if he was angry at me for causing him problems or at Jason's homophobic comments, but it didn't matter. I needed to do something to calm him down, before he did something he would regret.

I open my mouth to say something, but was cut off by an excited squeal.

"Oh my God, that was awesome! You are officially my new hero." The voice belonged to a boy with dark framed glasses and light blue color hair. The bright color, making him stand out like a sore thumb. He and another boy walked over to Phil, who looked overwhelmed by his sudden outburst.

"It was about time someone told that homophobe off." He puffed his chest proudly as if he were the one who had put Jason in his place.

"Calmed down, Tyler. You are going to scare them off" The boy next to Tyler, I guess was his name, chuckled. The boy was tall with beautiful sapphire eyes and a soothing and sultry voice, perfect for singing pop or indie.

"That was pretty cool though." He said, smiling warmly at us. "I am Troye, by the way, and this goof here is my boyfriend Tyler." He threw a thumb to said goof and my eyes widen in recognition. I had seen these guys before in some of my classes and walking around in the hallways together, but I never knew they were an item.

"We don't like broadcasting our relationship because of people like Jason." Troye answered my silent question and my eyes widen. _Wow his good_. I nodded in approval, impressed.

"I am Phil, and this is Dan." Phil introduced us, offering the pair a friendly smile.

Tyler eyes widen like a cartoon's character.

"Wow, your actually nicer than I thought you'd be." Phil bit his lip and shifted in his seat.

"Is that a good thing?"

"Hell yeah! it just means I get to live another day." He said happily, making Phil burst out in laughter. It was rare to see Phil laughing in school which I guess Tyler knew because he then turned around and shot Troye a smug look. Troye just shook his head fondly at him.

"Excuse Tyler, he has no filter." He grinned, making Tyler stick his tongue at him, before turning around to look at us once more.

"Seriously though, it was really nice meeting you guys. I think is so cool you guys are friends, even though your gay and his straight." Tyler beam at us like we were the world sixth wonder.

"Thanks" I said, feeling awkward since Phil was actually bisexual and not straight. However, it wasn't my place to tell them that, so I stayed silent.

"Anyways we just wanted to pay our respects before heading to class. We should hang out some time!" He said, walking backwards, and waved to us. He then turned around and exited the cafeteria with Troye right behind him. The taller boy shot us a sheepish look from over his shoulder, before leaving.

"I like them." Phil said the moment they were out of earshot.

I raised my eyebrows in amusement. I didn't know if I wanted to hang with them, but they were definitely an interesting pair.

I smiled.

"Same."

-/-

As it turned out, I didn't have a choice on whether to hang out with Tyler and Troye. Since that day in the cafeteria, Tyler began sitting at our lunch table of his own accord and Troye followed him by default. I thought it was going to be awkward having them around, but I actually came to enjoy their company.

Tyler brought life to the table with his outgoing and crazy personality and crude comments. While, Troye was the voice of reason and peacekeeper of the table. His gentle and kind demeanor made him a great confidant and adviser of sorts. Despite their different personalities, they balance each other perfectly. Tyler brought excitement to Troye life while Troye kept Tyler in check and out of trouble.

The more time I spend with them, the more they grew on me. I suddenly, found myself looking forward to school which was an entirely new experience for me. I wasn't sure I was ready to call them "friends," but I would be lying if I said they were just acquaintances. Plus, it would make my mom happy to see me bringing someone else besides Phil home all the time. So, I guess it wasn't so bad, having them around.

Strangely enough, things had been going well at school too. I've seen Jason a couple of times in the hallway, but he hasn't done anything lately. His been quiet, a bit too quiet in my opinion, but I wasn't going to complain. On top of that, my grades for math had been improving thanks to Phil's help. I finally felt like I was getting the material. However, I was still nervous to see my score on last week exam.

The closer Mr. Goodman got to my desk the sweatier my hands became. I held my breath when he finally reached my desk and placed my exam face down like last time. My heart drop and my shoulder slump. _Did I not do good?_ I thought. I studied so hard too! I was sure this time would be different.

The sound of a throat clearing snapped me from my panic-fueled thoughts.

I looked up at Mr. Goodman and found him smiling at me, eyes twinkling in delight.

"Good job, son." He said, before moving to the next desk. My eyes widen in confusion, and I hastily turned the paper over.

-/-

I couldn't keep the smile off my face as I walked through the hallways. I got a _B+!_ I couldn't believe it. Me Dan Howell, got a grade higher than a C on math. Wow.

"What with the creepy smile?" Tyler asked, walking towards me.

"Did Phil confess his undying love to you while I wasn't around?" He teased, making me go bright red. For some reason, Tyler always joked about how he shipped me and Phil together and supported our bro-romance.

I shook my head at him, flustered.

"Umm no. I got a..." I trailed off. For some reason, it didn't feel right showing Tyler my grade first. I wanted Phil to be the first person I told the good news to, since it was largely because of him that I did so well. However, he got caught up in another class and had to miss Algebra, so I hadn't had a chance to show him.

"-a new math book?" It sounded more like a question than a statement. Tyler notice this too and rose an amused eyebrow at me.

"I thought you hate math with and I quote, 'the burning passion of a thousand suns'." I grimaced, _Touché._ I cleared my throat.

"I might have exaggerated a bit." My voice cracked in the end, making me blush. Tyler merely crossed his arm and looked at me unimpressed.

I let out a heavy sigh and smiled at him sheepishly.

"I'll tell you later, I promise." For a second, I wondered if I should tell him anything. It was none of his business. But then I remember that this was Tyler, and he would most likely bother me about it until I told him.

"You better! Anyways, got to go. See you later!" And with that he went to join Troye at his locker.

I rolled my eyes and went to open my locker. As I was putting my stuff away, I got a text from Phil and my face broke into a smile.

 _Meet me behind the school after classes alone. I have something to tell you._

I felt my heart racing and I quickly typed out a message.

 _I need to tell you something too! See you there._

-/-

I pulled out my phone and check the time, frowning. It had been 20 minutes since class let out and still no sign of Phil. He tended to run late, but even this was unusual for him. I rubbed my hands and huffed into them. I could see my breath swirling in the cold air.

 _Did something happen to him? Is he okay?_ I thought worriedly and opened up my messages.

I texted him, asking him where he was, but he didn't answer. I was starting to get really worry that something had happened and considered leaving to go find him when I heard footsteps behind me. I smiled happily and turned around to greet him. However, my smile immediately fell off when I didn't find Phil, and instead saw three huge seniors in front of me. I fidgeted with my hands, something in me telling me to run.

That was my first mistake, not listening to it.

"Hello Faggot, sorry that we made you wait. Your little boy-toy is not coming today."

My eyes widen, and my hands began to shake.

"W-what going on? What do you guys want?" I stuttered, trying and failing to sound confident. The guy in the middle, a brawny senior with his hair in a ponytail, sneered at me.

"My man Jason says you been harassing him. We here to show you what happens to fags like you in this school.'

At the mention of Jason name, my fight and flight response finally kicked in and I turned around to run. However, before I could even take a step forwards, I was trapped in a head lock. The guy threw me on the ground roughly, causing me to scrap my elbow in the process. I could feel the blood sipping through my sleeves and into the floor. They then started taking turns kicking me while I was down. I did my best to protect my head and ribs, but they still got some kicks in. Tears started running down my cheeks and mixing with the blood from by broken lip. It was a haunting taste that I knew I wouldn't be able to forget. The physically and emotional pain became so much that I blacked out at some point during the whole thing. The last thing I remember doing was wishing that Phil was okay.

 **A/N Wow, that last bit was hard to write, not going to lie. But alas is all for the sake of the story progressing. What do you think happened to Phil? What about Tyler and Troye? Do you like how I wrote their characters or do you hate it? Personally, I found it extreme fun writing Tyler's character.**

 **Once again thank you for the comments and favs on this story. It's what pushes me to write faster and motivates me to continue. Next POV is Phil's!**


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